Gun-Rights Supporters Gather At The Capitol

HARTFORD — CORRECTION: A version of this story filed April 20 at 5:42 p.m. incorrectly reported the number of people attending the rally. Capitol Police estimated the attendance at 1,500.

Waving American flags and holding signs bearing Second Amendment slogans, about 1,500 gun-rights supporters gathered at the state Capitol Saturday afternoon for a rally sponsored by the Connecticut Citizens Defense League.

According to its website, the CCDL is a nonpartisan, grass-roots organization formed in 2009 and advocates for the right to keep and bear arms in Connecticut. It has about 2,000 members.

Cheryl Lemos, the membership coordinator of the CCDL and one of several speakers Saturday, said the Second Amendment is about the balance of power.

"Our founding fathers knew firsthand what happens the balance of power tips to a tyrannical government," she said.

Former congressional candidate Wayne Winsley said the Second Amendment is the guardian of the country's other freedoms.

Referring to the Boston Marathon bombings, Winsley said terrorist attacks of that kind are rare because those who would commit terror in the U.S. know the country is full of law-abiding gun owners "who, if they see something, might do more than say something."

Other scheduled speakers were John Lott Jr., author of the book "More Guns, Less Crime," and Stewart Rhodes, founder of another gun-rights organization, Oath Keepers.

Many of those at the rally brought their own firearms, and the CCDL notes on its website that it is legal to carry a firearm on the grounds of the Capitol — though not into the building itself. The CCDL said it supports all lawful means of carrying a gun.